Sell Financial Times for £500m, analyst tells Pearson

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"Over my dead body" has been Pearson chief executive Dame Marjorie Scardino's response to such suggestions in the past.

But Royal Bank of Scotland's Paul Gooden said a sale "makes sense" as Pearson is preparing to dispose of its 62% stake in the FT Group's other business, American information firm Interactive Data Corporation.

The deadline for first-round bids for the IDC stake is imminent. Seven private equity firms and two trade bidders are said to be interested.

Pearson, which owns a growing education business and the books publisher Penguin as well as the FT, could net upwards of $2.7 billion (£1.7 billion) from the IDC sale. Gooden said in a note: "IDC is the largest part of the FT Group and we believe an exit of the FT newspaper makes sense thereafter."

He said the FT could fetch £500 million as a "trophy asset", even though it is "operating close to break even", and Pearson profits would jump 7%. Pearson declined to comment.